Spiritual lifeline
The word ashram is derived from the word shram, which means to labour.
So shram forms the foundation of ashram life. Anything you set your heart
on to achieve cannot be attained without struggle or effort from your
side. A student labours hard to get good marks. A housewife labours hard
to look after her family. A husband labours hard to meet the needs of
his children. Each and every living creature struggles hard to survive.
In the ashram too the sannyasins labour very hard, but this struggle
is for perfection of one's thoughts, words and deeds. The effort is towards
attaining balance in these different facets of one's personality.  The
head, heart and hand must synchronize if you want to realize your goals,
whether they are material, spiritual or both.The ashram provides a suitable
environment for this metamorphosis to take place because the lifeline
of the ashram is spiritual. By spiritual I mean pure and untainted.
Purity of environment enhances that side of our personality which is
ready to accept inherent weaknesses and blemishes, change our outlook
and opinion as well as improve ourselves. The fault is not in the environment
or in the people with whom we have to interact, the problems we face arise
from within. The circumstances only act as a catalyst to bring them to
the surface. Everything you feel, think, say or do is coming from deep
within.
Ashram life gives you the chance to reflect on this and therefore the
changes that take place in you after spending time in the ashram are more
permanent and abiding. Ashram culture is going to be a panacea for the
people of this modern era because it will provide them with a positive
environment to explode that seed of creativity which is dormant within
them.
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